UC Berkeley

Late middle Eocene fossils from the Pondaung Formation of central Myanmar document Southeast Asia’soldest Cenozoic turtle fauna. Although the material is fragmentary, seven distinct turtle taxa are recognized. Theseinclude a podocmenid pleurodire, anosteirine and carettochelyine carettochelyids, two or more trionychine trionychids,and a testudinid. Of these, only the carettochelyine carettochelyid is complete enough to recognize as a newtaxon, Burmemys magnifica, gen. et sp. nov. The Pondaung turtle fauna is one of the best known of its age fromSoutheast Asia but comparisons with the limited literature of the Eocene faunas from China, Mongolia, and the Indiansubcontinent indicate it is probably biogeographically unique. Among the recognized genera, only Anosteira is knownfrom other Eocene Asian localities, and the presence of pleurodires is unusual.